Showing papers by "Leyland Pitt published in 2010"

Advocating avatars: the salesperson in second life

Abstract: Interactive digital media are revolutionizing the marketing landscape. The virtual world is a dominant player in this new panorama, with exchanges in the virtual marketplace approaching $2 billion annually. While virtual, like real world, exchanges require buyers and sellers, there is little or no understanding of this disembodied sales process. The current study seeks to address this gap in knowledge by employing an ethnographic methodology in which researchers incarnate in Second Life to explore the personal selling process. Specifically, the various notions of the “self ” that constitute the avatar salesperson are explored. Findings from this exploratory study suggest a relationship between the nature of the self and the type of exchange. From this, a conceptual model for the study of the virtual selling self is presented, propositions developed, and managerial implications for the virtual sales force suggested.

Consumer-generated content and source effects in financial services advertising: An experimental study

Abstract: Although advertising has previously been under the control of organizations and their advertising agencies, recent advances in technology have seen the emergence of what has come to be known as ' consumer-generated advertising ' . Consumers are now creating their own ads for the brands they love and hate, using inexpensive software and powerful personal computers, and then distributing these via social networks such as YouTube. The consequences for traditional advertisers are profound. Although services marketing scholars have begun to pay attention to this phenomenon, little is known about the source effects of these types of ads, for example whether viewers think they were created by fi rms, or consumers like themselves. This article describes a series of experiments designed to test source effects in the context of consumer-generated ads in a fi nancial services context, in which it is found that some source effects are present. Implications for marketers as well as future research directions are identifi ed. Journal of Financial Services Marketing (2010) 15, 49 - 61. doi: 10.1057/fsm.2010.3

Political ad portraits: a visual analysis of viewer reaction to online political spoof advertisements

Abstract: The democratization of the Internet and the growing popularity of amateur video production have given rise to historic levels of voter engagement. In recent times, the populace has turned to YouTube and other similar websites to publicly voice their opinions through the posting of, and response to, amateur political videos. Political communication and campaign managers frequently struggle to consolidate, analyse, and respond to the vast array of commentary posted on the Internet in reply to these videos. The ability to quickly consolidate and interpret viewer responses to political videos provides campaign and communications' managers the opportunity to quickly make policy, positioning, or image changes. This is especially valuable considering that viewer responses provide a potentially unbiased picture of actual voter sentiment. Using the visualization software, Leximancer, we show how conversations around online political spoof videos can be mapped, interpreted, and used as a basis for strategic brand decision-making. We discuss the implications of our findings, outline the technique's limitations, and trace avenues for further research. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Expressing herself through brands: A comparative study of women in six Asia-Pacific nations

Abstract: Consumers express themselves through the brands they desire, purchase and consume. Self-expression, therefore, can be an important driver of consumer preferences and choices. Despite the importance, few multi-country comparative studies have examined how people use brands to express themselves, although there are indications that the importance of brands for self-expression differs across cultures. This study investigates whether female consumers, on average, in six Asia-Pacific nations differ in the extent to which they express themselves in using their favorite brand of beauty care products. We conducted an email survey, which shows that the importance of these brands as a vehicle of self-expression differs significantly across the six countries, and three clusters could be found. Women in India, China and the Philippines, on average, perceived these brands as more important for self-expression than women in Malaysia, Japan and Australia. Women in Japan and Australia, on average, perceived these brands as less important for self-expression than Malaysian women. We discuss whether economic similarities between the countries can explain these results, which could indicate a high negative correlation between brand expression and wealth. We also consider cultural differences across countries in the form of power distance and uncertainty avoidance as a possible explanation.

Do b2b bloggers believe in blogs? : PR insights on blogger skepticism

Abstract: Research and practice have given a lot of attention to blogs which illustrates that it is increasingly becoming an important PR tool. When blogs comment on the activities, products, services and technologies of organisations it becomes an important communications tool. Blogs can be used as credible professional communication but it can also be subject to the same type of skepticism that traditional mass media encounters. This article presents the responses of 333 international active bloggers in the business-to-business (B2B) environment. The responses to blogging ethics as well as their skepticism towards blogging are discussed. We adapted a skepticism scale initially used to measure skepticism towards advertising to reflect skepticism towards blogging. We then relate skepticism towards blogging with the blogger’s view on ethical issues. We also determine if skepticism varies among bloggers from different regions. The article concludes by identifying managerial implications and avenues for future research.

Analysing consumer segments to budget for loyalty and promotion programmes and maximize market share

Abstract: This paper seeks to provide a framework and benchmark for the allocation of marketing budget between promotion and loyalty programmes using an approach that combines a Markov-type market share model and the Lagrange multiplier method to maximize market share The Lagrange multiplier method, that takes into account the market share and the loyalty effect observable in preceding periods along with the estimated promotional effects, permits the allocation to be optimized and future market share to be maximized Then, loyalty-based consumer segment are used to explain why the budgeting exercise can achieve the maximization objective To this end, the study uses consumer panel data concerning three categories, namely, adult milk powder, shampoo, and detergent It extends previous research on loyalty-based segmentation by focusing on the budget allocation between the two options of loyalty enhancement and promotion programming A Budget Allocation Grid for Loyalty-based Segmentation is proposed as an aid to understand budget allocation between loyalty and promotion programmes based on the relative sizes of exclusive-loyalty and variety-seeking segments

Are business school mission statements readable? : Evidence from the top 100

Abstract: Mission statements are fairly ubiquitous, particularly among large organizations Although opinions on mission statements are split among those in favor, those less so, and those that are cynical of them; they continue to be seen as an important element in strategy formulation However, if they are to have a chance of achieving the desired positive outcomes that those in their favor highlight, they must first be readable and comprehensible to the targeted stakeholders To investigate the readability of mission statements of business schools, the individual mission statements were collected of the business schools offering the top 100 MBA programs in the Financial Times rankings of 2009 A readability calculation tool was then employed to assess the readability of each of these mission statements Results are reported, and the implications are considered, while limitations are noted and directions for future research are identified

Believing the bloggers : some implications of consumer skepticism for PR professionals

Abstract: Online blogs, specifically those that offer reviews of products, services and technologies, increasingly attract interest among practitioners of public relations as well as academic scholars. While ...

Consumer Skepticism and Blogs: Implications for Marketing Communicators

Abstract: Blogs have become a pervasive and powerful forms of communication in the milieu enabled by Web 2.0, and are assuming important roles in the arsenals of marketing communicators. Yet little evidence currently exists of the extent to which consumers believe the content of blogs or not. This paper presents the results of a study that examines the extent of skepticism toward blogs within a reasonably large sample. Using a scale adapted from the advertising literature to measure skepticism, the research compared levels of skepticism among consumers by age, level of education and gender, as well as the frequency with which consumers accessed blogs, and the number of blogs they accessed. Some preliminary observations on psychometric properties of the adapted scale are also made. The paper concludes by acknowledging the limitations of the research, identifying the implications for management, and noting avenues for future research.